And now, for something completely different.

Last night, Nathaniel and I had the pleasure of doing an engagement shoot with our wedding photographer, Faye Murman.  Faye is also a professional photojournalist and a teacher at Temple University.

We had so much fun!  The three of us wandered through the park where Nathaniel carved our initials on a tree so many months ago, wading through ivy and splashing in the creek.  Faye was an absolute joy to work with - she has a perfectly professional attitude and is constantly looking for unique and beautiful opportunities, but she keeps a laid back, friendly demeanor that makes it easy to open up and get good photos.

My time at Temple is teaching me a lot, but a great deal of it is not in a text book.  There is a lot of value to make your subjects feel comfortable - it allows you to get incredible photos like this one!
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(Photo belongs to Faye Murman and may be viewed on her Facebook page, which you can be come a fan of here!)

Obvious Epiphany

I know this might sound a little obvious, and you're welcome to make fun of me, but something has occurred to me over the past year that never really struck me before.  Some of the people I've learned great things from, whether it be lighting, posing, post-work, how to make your subject comfortable, or just some pearl of wisdom from the trade... some of those people weren't actually that good, themselves.

I've been looking back over some of the photographers I greatly admired when I first fell in love with this trade.  People I used to idolize, styles I longed to emulate.  Not that I'm a pro at this point in the game, but I'm learning how to judge work with a more critical eye and I'm realizing... wow, some of this work isn't that great.

Not that it's bad, per se, it's just not phenomenal.

Huh.

Time to choose new role models?